ZTE phones are well known for delivering great bang for the buck - the Axon 7 and $99 ZMAX PRO immediately come to mind. Now, there's a new ZMAX phone on the block, the Blade ZMAX, and it offers quite a few flagship-level features for only $129.

The Blade ZMAX sports a 6.0" 1080p IPS display that is topped by 2.5D Dragontail glass. It's powered by a 1.4GHz Snapdragon 435 and 2GB of RAM, and packs 32GB of storage with microSD expansion. The battery weighs in at a hefty 4080mAh, which should make for a long-lasting phone, especially since it's coupled with a 1080p panel. These specs aren't bad at all, and it's nice to see such budget-oriented phones getting this much storage as standard nowadays.

Camera-wise, we get an iPhone 7 Plus-esque 16MP/2MP sensor combo that aims to deliver photos with depth-of-field effects. Your selfies will come courtesy of an 8MP unit up front, which is rather high in the megapixel count as far as front-facing cameras go. Other noteworthy features include capacitive keys (boo), a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, USB Type-C with Quick Charge 2.0, and Android 7.1.1 Nougat. Oh, and yes, there is a headphone jack.

Want one? If you're on MetroPCS, you can pre-order it today at that $129 price. If you pre-register and end up purchasing it, you'll also get a free $25 Google Play gift card. The Blade ZMAX will be available in-store on August 28th.

Press Release

ZTE USA’s Blade Series is Now Bigger, Bolder and Better Than Ever with the ZTE Blade Z Max on MetroPCS

The successor to the ZMAX Series, the ZTE Blade Z Max packs top-of-the-line features at a price that is almost too good to be true

RICHARDSON, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ZTE USA, the fourth largest smartphone supplier in the U.S. and second largest in the no-annual contract market*, today announced the evolution to its award-winning ZMAX smartphone series with the ZTE Blade Z Max. This value-packed smartphone is equipped with a 6-inch Full HD screen, dual-rear cameras, expandable memory and a super large 4,080mAh battery. Available for pre-order online today at https://www.metropcs.com/BladeZMaxComingSoon.html, the Blade Z Max will be available in select MetroPCS stores starting August 28 for only $129 MSRP.

“The Blade smartphone series showcases the ability of ZTE to bring affordable premium devices to the masses and we are excited to bring this line to MetroPCS for the first time through the ZTE Blade Z Max,” said Lixin Cheng, CEO of ZTE Mobile Devices. “The Blade Z Max brings top-of-the-line features and specs to consumers at a price point that provides unmatched value.”

Coming in at under $130 MSRP, the ZTE Blade Z Max provides users with functionality and value with:

Amazing Photos: Equipped with a 16MP and secondary 2MP rear-facing camera gives the phone incredible image options that allow you to choose from the bokeh, monochrome and portrait effects. An 8MP front-facing camera allows for even better selfies.

A Maximized Viewing Experience: Watch your favorite shows and movies come to life with a 6-inch Full HD LCD display with scratch-resistant glass. Your entertainment never looked so good.

A Super Large, Long-Lasting Battery: With a powerful 4,080mAh battery that puts any of its competitors in the dust, you can talk for up to 31 hours straight or keep it on standby for 22 days. And with Qualcomm® Quick Charge™ 2.0 capabilities you can charge quickly to keep talking, texting or streaming for long periods even while on the go.

An Intuitive Rear Fingerprint Sensor: Security has met its match with the ZTE Blade Z Max’s rear fingerprint sensor that’s quick and responsive. Also, save up to five fingerprints to access your favorite applications at a simple touch.

Performance That Lasts and Memory That Expands: The ZTE Blade Z Max is equipped with a 1.4GHz Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ Mobile Platform that is designed to keep up with you throughout the day. Plus, with up to 32GB of internal memory, expandable up to 128GB via a microSD card, you can store all your favorite photos, videos, music and more.

ZTE USA (www.zteusa.com), headquartered in Richardson, Texas, is a subsidiary of ZTE Corporation, a global provider of mobile devices, telecommunication systems, and enterprise solutions. Operating since 1998, ZTE USA is dedicated to making cost-efficient, quality communication technology accessible to all. ZTE is ranked by independent industry analysts as the fourth-largest supplier of mobile devices in the U.S. overall, and second-largest supplier of prepaid devices.

Comments

im afraid not. Its a major request from the public which ZTE seems to constantly ignore .

My name is….

It's an 130$ device for FUCK'S SAKE, serious corners have to be cut here

Twsted

They are selling the same phone of last years model,
Just under a new jacket and sunglasses.
Thats like someone selling you a Corvette but under the hood is a Datsun D220.....LOL
How are we supposed to evolve when they keep selling us the same technology of last years model...lol

Doby Gillis

Will you just fuck off with your nonsense already.

Twsted

No I will not, if you dont like that, too bad.

balcobomber25

So last years budget offering from ZTE was a Corvette and this years is a Datsun?

Blade compared to last years ZMax Pro is a minor bump, very tiny bump.
you are ONLY getting 600-mAh bump on battery compared to last years model.
You are ONLY getting a 3mp camera quality bump compared to last years model.
And they STILL kept the 32-GB space and the same lousey 2GB RAM that chokes that phone the more you use it.
There is really nothing there to offer on this new phone, it is just a very tiny bump.....thats it.
People need to save their money and buy a $300 to $400 high quality phone. youll get better specs that will last you another 3 to 5 years,.

Joshua Morgan

You're missing the point that someone that only wants to spend $130 or less on a phone does not want to save up for a $300+ phone. And this phone is perfect as a budget friendly kids phone.

balcobomber25

In his mind because he needs a $300+ phone, everyone in the world does. It's hilarious to debate with him on this. He will just post random links that have nothing to do with his argument and say "see I have proof". I am really beginning to think he is mentally unstable.

balcobomber25

LOL. Not everyone wants, needs or can afford a $3-400 phone. Better specs doesn't mean it will last longer.

Twsted

and this is why technology is so slow, because people are still playing with old technology, so companies have to dumb down their technology instead of advancing like they should, because we have to wait for people to catch up.
We as humans should not be as far back in technology as we are now.
All the technology we have today should have been done in 2010.
We are so far back its depressing.

balcobomber25

Technology is slow because some people don't need a $3-400 phone?

Twsted

Its slow because people keep using aged technology, so it forces companies to keep producing crap from years ago and they cant push the envelope.
So in return thats why we are where we are. Slow as shit fooling ourselves that we are evolving when in fact companies are taking advantage and ripping people off by selling to the public old technology with new prices.
Why to go humanity, everyone is waiting for the slow people.

balcobomber25

This phone isn't "aged technology". The SD435 is the current newest budget SoC from Qualcomm and features some very new technology like 802.11ac Wave 2 Wifi support.

Twsted

nope its not the SD435 - its the SD450
so ya SD435, it is aged..... and slower..

balcobomber25

The Snapdragon 450 isnt in production yet.

Twsted

ZTE should have waited before stepping on the gas to release the Blaze. Since SD450 will be released around October ~ November holiday time as they announced the SD450 in June 2017.
They should have given users another (extra) 2GB of ram totalling it to 4GB RAM, and upped the ROM to 64GB and upped the batt to 4800-mAh and priced it at around $139.99
that would have been worth it.
It would have been the budget phone to have in 2018

balcobomber25

Except this is 2017 and ZTE has employees to pay and investors that want to make money. The first SD450 phones won't be out until December at the earliest and even that could be pushing it.

Once again you have serious issues comprehending that this is a budget phone meant for people who want a budget phone. It's clearly not a phone for you.

Antics

"They are selling the same phone of last years model..."
By your own admission, they aren't selling you Datsun disguised as a Corvette - they're selling a 2017 Corvette [rather, a Kia] slightly trimmed up to replace last years 2016 Corvette [again, Kia].

The SD435 is more battery efficient than the 617 it replaces while it keeping its same performance. Plus it has dual cameras now. And QC 2.0. And a bigger battery. Sheesh.

Twsted

1. - Keeping the same performance and speed.
2. - dual camera dont mean crap if there is no improvement over last years model.
3. - QC-2.0 was in last years model technology is up to QC-3.0
4. - battery ONLY has a 600-mAh increase... its peanuts.
please keep up....

Umm... QC 2.0 was not in last years model. OEMs have to pay Qualcomm to use certain features for its SoCs. Like QC and image processing. That's why OEMs can cut corners in certain places and offer you cheaper devices. But I guess you didn't know that.

bigdawgx

It's a big improvement!! The 617 is crap! I had it in two phones. It overheats which is why battery life is terrible. And this is not from games. Just ordinary usage of browsing websites.

Axel Feliz

please don't begin to pretend you know about cars. the same way you are doing about "flagships:

ProductFRED

Aside from 2GB of RAM instead of 3GB (but remember the price), I don't think there's much to complain about here for $129.

Twsted

I disagree. they gave that similar spec as the ZMax Pro.
We are almost in 2018
The phone should have at the least Snapdragon 650, 4GB RAM & 64GB ROM, NFC, FM Radio QC-3.0, Bluetooth 3.1
People these days are not getting 32-GB phones anymore, because apps are taking up way too much space so people tend to purchase a 64-GB phone instead.
This phone has a slight improvement on the camera. The Zmax Pro is 13-MP while this so called new version has 16-MP Camera.
Overall its the same exact phone as the Zmax Pro with only 600 mAh more in the Battery and 3mp more on the camera.
Other than that its exactly the same as the Zmax Pro.
For a phone being released in Q4 of 2017 and we are almost in 2018
This phone lacks any major improvement.
Though this phone is great for Kids & Grand Parents who really dont tend to heavily use the phone to its full potential, even though its a mere copy of the ZMax Pro phone.

My name is….

Not sure if trolling

[A]dri[A]n

It's $129...

Twsted

yes true but they could up the price just a bit like $149.99 ~ $169.99
And gave the public a proper spec.
Would still make the phone really affordable,

You're arguing about a phone that obviously isn't for you. MetroPCS has more expensive phones with better specs and you can bring any GSM phone over. There's a lot of people specially on MetroPCS that want a phone to call, text, browse the web, and watch an occasional YouTube video. This phone will do that just fine. They're going for a low priced phone and realize they're not getting high end specs or they'd buy a more expensive phone. When I go up and there and pay my bill, people are asking what their cheapest phones are.

Twsted

When the news broke out about this phone, I already made my decision to purchase a Hauwei Mate 9 phone.

balcobomber25

Tmobile doesn't use Band 17, so I am not sure how it could work perfectly for you on a band that doesn't exist on their network.

Band 17 is ATT, Band 12 is Tmobile. Not all 700mhz LTE is the same.

balcobomber25

What you just described is a midrange phone that would cost more than $129. This is meant to be a budget phone, and therefore it has budget specs. It is right on par with other budget phones.

As for people not buying 32GB phones that is false. Some of the top selling phone models in the world are 32GB budget phones like the Redmi Note 4.

Twsted

dwell on this for a little bit. if Huawei was to bring this phone to the USA
many companies would be outsold over night.
.http://www.gearbest.com/cell-phones/pp_638129.html
.
and DONT tell me people cant afford this or save up for it, because they can.

Joshua Morgan

And people that want a better phone will save up for a better phone. Some don't want better. My dad had a phone that made calls and texts and that's all he used it for. And there are a number of people that are barely able to pay their bills let alone save up for a higher spec phone that they don't want.

Twsted

as I mentioned in my very first post, this phone is intended for children and grandparents.

balcobomber25

The phone is intended for people who want a budget phone. My parents are grandparents they use an iPhone 7 and Galaxy S8. I know some children that are using iPhones and Galaxy's. I know some adults that are using the Z Max Pro.

balcobomber25

Redmi Note 4 DOES work on Tmobile just FYI. I use it everyday in Boston and have no issues with LTE. The Mi Max 2 you just linked to would not work on any US LTE, it would have limited 3G connectivity.

The Note 4 has support for LTE Band 4, which is Tmobile's main LTE band. So once again I have LTE on my Redmi Note 4 on Tmobile. It will also work on ATT thanks to bands 4 and 5. There are multiple versions of the Redmi Note 4 so Tmobile support may have been talking about one of the other versions. But the one I have, the one I got for about $135, definitely works on Tmobile LTE.

Twsted

T-Mobile Band is: 2, 4, and 12
And the MAIN band for T-Mobile is 12 not 4 as by what T-Mobile support says.
So I dont know how they came to that but they did.

balcobomber25

It's hilarious that you just post links but really have no clue what anything in the link means. Do you actually read them first?

Tmobile isn't eliminating Band 4 LTE, they are shutting down Band 4 HSPA (3G). Band 4 currently operates on both 3G and LTE. The majority of Tmobile towers in the US are Band 4. Band 12 is extended range LTE and 600mhz won't be prevalent in most areas for another few years. 600mhz is the future of Tmobile but it will be a few years until it is actually built, there aren't even any phones that currently support it.

But none of this has to do with the original argument about the Redmi Note 4 not working on Tmobile LTE. It does, you were wrong. Tmobile support even confirms it:

"Important: Non-T-Mobile phones will work on T-Mobile's 3G / 4G if they support Band II (1900) and/or Band IV (1700/2100)" - Tmobile

So you essentially want a moto z play, yet you think they would be able to put all that and charge $150? Yeah not going to happen. This is a $129 phone for a reason. The specs aren't that bad, and for those who want this it will work fine.

Timothy Vreeland

I kinda agree with him though. The Zmax Pro was only $100. A Minot bump in specs is t worth the extra $30, they were a given considering how long ago the Zmax Pro came out. If you're gonna bump the price by 1/3, put it in the next tier up.

balcobomber25

Technically the Z Max Pro is a $179 phone. The $99 price is after promotions and rebates through MPCS. On other carriers it sells for full price

Twsted

Technically it was instant rebated and you didnt even notice the $179 price, if you want to be technical about it.
And other carriers never sold the Zmax Pro as far as I know, because it was exclusive to MetroPCS

balcobomber25

It WAS exclusive to Metro PCS.

"Starting today T-Mobile is offering the ZTE ZMax Pro in stores and online for the slightly higher price of $129, at least that’s what ZTE tells us. T-Mobile currently has the full retail price listed at $179 ($7.50/month), so clearly there’s some miscommunication here. Either way, it’s fantastic to see this device hit another carrier and at either price it’s a pretty solid deal.

Update: T-Mobile has confirmed that the ZMax Pro will be sold for $179 on its network." - 9to5Google.

"In the screenshot above, you may notice that the price on T-Mobile for the ZMax Pro is $179. This is $80 more than the previously advertised price on MetroPCS, however it’s worth noting that in order to get the phone for $99, MetroPCS included an $80 rebate. Otherwise, they would’ve sold the handset for the same price as T-Mobile. In other words, don’t think T-Mobile is charging more just because since they’re playing fair in this department." - thematridox

Twsted

MetroPCS is part of T-Mobile as its a subsidarary company of T-Mobile
Buy the phone at MetroPCS then go online and find an unlock service for $5~$10 dollars total and 8 hour turnaround and then install the T-Mobile network SimCard.
and poof done :D saved $80 bucks
If you unlock it via MetroPCS youll have to wait 3 months as MetroPCS will force you to have the service for 3 months, which is NOT cool ..

balcobomber25

That has nothing to do with the Z Max Pro actually being a $179 phone. This isn't about how to save money on it, it's about how much that phone actually costs compared to this new one.

Twsted

ZMax pro now cost $99 while the new one cost $129
i dont get whats your point.

balcobomber25

Zmax Pro costs $179, the new one costs $129. You can buy the Zmax Pro for $99 but that is not the retail price.

This phone also isn't related to the Zmax Pro, it is an update to the Blade.

Kyle Mitchell

the zmax started out at $99 but ive heard of people having to return them for some reason anonther

For $129, yeah it could be better but this is pretty good. Show me a phone even close to the specs you listed at this price.

Andrey

Even ZTE Axon 7 doesn't have FM radio. And a lot of the phones still come with older versions of Android, micro-USB and 2-3/16-32 GB memory. You just have to look wider than for a tight little bunch of the most expensive ones. By the way, ZTE Axon 7 has only two-thirds of this one's battery capacity - that's pretty shitty for a flagship phone compared to this budget one.

PS: You'd be laughing but I saw laptops running Windows 10 that only have 16-32 GB harddrive (half of which is already taken by Windows itself).

Melissadackerman

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FernandoRocker

Is it unlocked? Can I use it with AT&T?

Twsted

no you will have to find a way to unlock it just like the ZMax Pro was

ProductFRED

If you unlock it, it should work on AT&T. But it will come locked to MetroPCS out of the box.

balcobomber25

You would probably have to pay whatever the full price is and then Metro PCS would unlock it for you. We have to wait and see if this is the actual price or the "offer price". With the Z Max Pro the actual price was $179, $99 was the contract and rebate price.

balcobomber25

The phone itself isn't a bad deal. The article describing the phone is terrible.

"it offers quite a few flagship-level features for only $129." There isn't a single flagship feature that is offered on this phone, even the large battery is a feature that so far has been reserved for midrange and budget phones.

I guess I should have said that those were debatable and only potential options for "flagship-level features".

Oh, wait...

Twsted

(teh Jax) - actually that spec is technically not flagship potential either.
As those specs are at the least 5+ years old.
Flagship phones are already rubbing at the 256-GB ROM and 6~8GB RAM with a minimum of 20mp camera minimum.
And now these days midrange phones are getting extremely close to the flagship specs but still keeping their mid-range phone prices..

Joshua Morgan

Just because thr article says it's flagship does not mean it's flagship. What the article should say is its a good phone for $129. I just switched over from an s8 to an LG k20. I don't miss my s8 except for the aesthetics. The k20 is doing everything I need it to and it was free when I switched to MetroPCS

But actually, it is. I just did some fact-checking to make sure I wasn't blowing smoke out of my ass. I'm not.

Flagship phones I double-checked: Google Pixel (ignoring the XL since it's practically identical), Apple iPhone 7 & Plus (since their cameras are different), Galaxy S8, HTC U11, and LG G6. If you have a better set of flagship phones, please let me know. I was just trying to include the "main manufacturers" (yeah, HTC might be a stretch but the U11 is a really good phone so I included it).

All but iPhone come with USB Type-C.

Half come with Dual Cameras (the other half have worse).

Most have 2.5D Glass (not S8).

Most either have or are older than Android 7.1.1 (not Pixel or iPhone).

Most start out at 32GB Storage (not S8 or U11).

And since you threw it in, all are under 16MP. In fact, none are over 13MP. I have no clue where you're getting 20MP from but that doesn't exist on these current flagship phones.

Did I get anything wrong here? Please point out anything I'm incorrect on here. I think it is absolutely valid for the article to say that there are a few flagship specs available here.

Twsted

USB-C is not flagship, its standard to all phones, doesnt make it flagship.
I got 20-mp camera from Asus Zenfone 3 Ultra is a flagship phone.
2.5 Glass is being shadows by Gorilla Glass 4 and in 2018 Gorilla Glass 5 will be out.
all phones that dont have Android 7 or above are locked phones and are at the least 2 years old or more.
Newer phones have 7.0 OS.
32-GB ROM is old technology as many phones are breaking into 256 GB ROM including Apple, Asus and a bunch of others.
The ONLY reason why most people are getting 32GB phones is because most american carriers are being cheap and making customers pay for old technology as they pass their devices as new....LOL its just hilarious.
But there are a bunch of phones that start at 64GB as their standard.
The OTHER reason why people are not buying 128 and 265GB phones is because companies are trying to rip people off with these $1,000+ phones.
But thats a whole other ball of wax discussion.
Customers overseas are having the time of their life with phones that are actually Good., while North americans keep paying for the same phone wrapped in a new package and they fall for it.

So the only rebuttal I could find in that babbling is that you have this one Asus phone that has a 20MP camera. I hope that makes you feel special. It's nowhere near as good of a camera as what's on the big manufacturers' flagship phones.

A few other tips:
1. I don't think you even know what 2.5D glass is. Go do some research. Has nothing to do with Gorilla Glass.
2. 32GB is not "old technology". It's a number. eMMC is old technology. UFS is modern flash technology. 32GB is just a number. Again, do some research to know what you're talking about. We were never talking about storage technology to begin with.
3. I get it. You think all Americans are stupid and enjoy shoveling over our money blindly to businesses. Did that sum up half of your post/rant well?
4. I'm done talking to you. You're not worth any more of my time.

I have metro and need phone. Doesn't seem bad, especially for that price.

AbdulB1

2gb is not okay

Kyle Mitchell

if Metro was going to sell the phone for more then 129 in which you still end up paying 150 if you already have a service i dont think would have sold as well people would more likely go after the Zmax Pro because you would pay less for that phone. In my opinion 90 days of service then you can upgrade or unlock the phones at metro is a steal no 3 year contract. you possibly could get a better phone for 129 . I paid 224 for my samsung galaxy J7 and that was only a 16gb with 1.5 gb of ram and no fingerprint scanner and no notifcation light. So you get a 6inch phone with two 3 cameras two rear one front and usb type c with finger print reader all of this for 129 and 29 if you port in a number I think is a steal and of course metro will drop the price when the new what ever to rival it comes out